LAS VEGAS -- Last July, Tyronn Lue was at the helm of the Boston Celtics Summer League team. This year Lue, like several of his fellow coaches, once again led a summer squad, only this time it was for the Los Angeles Clippers.

Lue, Armond Hill, and Kevin Eastman left the Celtics bench to join Doc Rivers as assistant coaches following his trade to the Clippers. For the second year in a row, Rivers appointed Lue as summer league head coach.

The 36-year-old former NBA guard was tasked with a new role this time around: implementing the defense. Last summer he coached the Celtics offense, but Rivers used associate head coach Alvin Gentry's system -- "Doc loves his offense, he has a great basketball mind," Lue explained -- leaving the ‘D’ up to Lue. It is a foundation Lue is very familiar with after working with the Celtics for four years.

"Doc prides his teams on defense," said Lue. "We're not going to make shots every night, but if … we can get stops, we can still win the game. That's what I'm trying to instill in the young guys."

Lue emphasized the importance of transition defense, talking loudly, and taking care of the ball among other fundamentals. He also coached his team about alternating the pace of the game, an aspect he has seen younger players struggle with in summer league.

"They're young, and when you're fast you just want to play fast all game," he said. "There are going to be times you have to pick and choose your spots because if you play fast they can defend that."

After playing 11 years in the NBA, Lue is well on his way into the next phase of his career. Coaching the Celtics 2012 Summer League team helped him on the sidelines last season, and leading the Clippers this summer will do the same for him next season with a new team.

"[Coaching summer league helped me with] composure, knowing that young guys are going to make mistakes but the biggest thing is you want them to play hard," said Lue. "If we can get them to play hard, we can build from there."